


Dysfunctional

by viceroyvonmutini



Series: LadiesofPOI-Kara Stanton (B) [7]
Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Gen, so like a little root and shaw mentioned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 10:55:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4134825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/viceroyvonmutini/pseuds/viceroyvonmutini
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This was the strangest temporary incarceration she'd ever had.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dysfunctional

**Author's Note:**

> prompt: puncture
> 
> I decided to take this prompt literally (there's a surprise) and as an excuse to imagine Kara and Shaw in a confined space. 
> 
> Set in some random, much wished for universe where Root and Shaw were on the team as Kara was alive and they actually met. And then went on this road trip.
> 
> I honestly do feel I should be providing more deep, meaningful pieces for this. Oops.

The road went on for miles, empty in an even emptier desert. The landscape was silent: the harsh cries of desert birds and the low roar of a black Jeep Explorer making its way undisturbed across the sand covered tarmac.

Inside the vehicle things were tense.

John sat at the wheel, a rare occurrence in itself, silent. Root rode shotgun, pleasant smile on her face as she kept herself occupied with the surrounding scenery and, presumably, the voice in her ear.

The back seat seemed to be the source of the awkward atmosphere, a cesspool of charged tension that no one seemed willing to address.

Kara Stanton sat wrists handcuffed far too tight but she didn't complain, too busy enjoying her disgruntled companion in the back; Sameen Shaw had her gun trained on the woman, eyes hard with a permanent scowl on her face as she kept her gaze firmly trained on their captive.

Anyone looking closely would have also noticed the blood trickling down her wrist making the grip on her gun sticky, before dripping onto the black leather seats no doubt with the intent to stain the seats of this permanently borrowed vehicle.

'I think you can take the gun off me now,' suggest Kara, a little bit tired with the guard dog routine.

Shaw cocked her weapon in response.

'So I get shot if I speak?'

Root didn't even turn around.

'Sameen,' she cooed, 'play nice.'

Shaw's scowl deepened but she said nothing. Kara looked between the two women.

'Are you her pet?'

Root had the audacity to chuckle and Shaw snapped her gaze to the woman, scowl in full force.

'No.'

Kara changed tactic.

'So you work with these women John?'

'Yes Kara.'

'How's that treating you?'

John didn't respond.

'Okay I knew John was a bad conversationalist but at least engage your captive in light hearted talk.'

Shaw's grip shifted ever so slightly on her gun but she said nothing, scowl in place. Root took that moment to turn around and face Kara.

'We're working on teaching Sameen to use her words but John seems to be a lost cause. What would you like to talk about?'

Kara raised an eyebrow.

'The weather.'

'Lovely, isn't it?'

Root tilted her head to the side before looking at John.

'Go right.'

John raised an eyebrow.

'On to the other side of the road?'

'Yes. Go r-'

Root was cut off by the sound of a large thud, followed by the rhythmic pad of deflated rubber upon tarmac. John immediately slowed down before pulling to a stop on the side of the dusty road. He cut the engine.

'John,' growled Shaw.

John looked at Root, who shrugged her shoulders.

'She said go right. You didn't listen.'

'Fix it. Now.'

Kara shifted in her seat.

'Well isn’t this fun.'

Shaw rounded on her.

'Shut up before I put a bullet through your kneecap.'

'You won't shoot me.'

Shaw aimed.

'Sweetie, wait until we get back.'

'Root,' she growled.

'We can't deal with potential loss of blood and a flat tyre you know that.'

Shaw contemplated.

'Fine. But if you're the next one I shoot don't blame me.'

'See?'

Shaw didn't think twice as she struck Kara in the face with her fist, taking glee in the way Kara's head snapped to the side.

'Just because I can't shoot you doesn't mean I can't break a few bones.'

Shaw looked at the other two, daring them to say anything but John shrugged.

'I won't tell him.'

Root simply looked on dotingly, the trio ignoring Kara's pain as she flexed her jaw.

'No, you're going to concentrate on fixing the tyre and getting us out of here,' huffed Shaw, falling back into her seat as John pushed open the door to inspect the damage. His head appeared through the open doorway a few minutes later.

'Tyre's gone.'

'As astute as you always were,' muttered Kara and this time Shaw didn't want to disagree.

'Road rescue already called,' provided Root helpfully, 'they'll be about an hour.'

'Why are we calling them? Fix it and let's go.'

'No spare tyre,' clarified John.

Shaw ground her jaw, whilst Kara chuckled slightly.

'Oh dear,' she said without much sympathy.

'We'll walk.'

'Across the desert? With Kara in tow?'

'Yes.'

'Oh I'd like that,' chirped Kara and Shaw's head snapped to face her.

'Sameen you know that's not possible.'

'I'm not waiting here with her,' hissed Shaw, indicating to Kara who flashed a winning smile.

'We don't have a choice Shaw.'

'And whose fault is that?'

John said no more, sitting on the side of the seat his legs out in the hot air. Root followed his example, pushing open her own door to let some air into the car. Kara shifted slightly.

Shaw put away her gun in the band of her jeans, shuffling out of her coat as she remained seated, letting it fall behind her back as she inspected her arm.

Kara watched as Shaw's fingers trailed the bleeding bullet graze.

'Root, get me the first aid kit.'

Root turned around in her seat.

'You were hit?'

'Grazed. The kit?'

'John can get it,' John raised an eyebrow but didn't question the dismissal, doing what was asked of him.

Root shuffled as best she could to fully face Shaw behind her, reaching a hand to inspect the wound but Shaw pulled away before the fingers reached their destination.

'It's fine.'

'Where from?'

Shaw tilted her head to the side, indicating Kara.

'Guilty as charged.'

Unlike her previous playful dismissal of their prisoner Root's eyes were now somewhat unforgiving.

'Oh come on it was a scratch at best.'

Shaw shrugged.

'Still hurt.'

'Sorry?'

'Thanks,' replied Shaw gruffly, batting away Root's attentive hands.

John opened Shaw's door and she grabbed the kit. John stood in the doorway, shadow looming as Shaw attended to her wounds. As she began to wrap the gauze her hands stilled and she raised her head.

'Do you all need to watch this?'

John looked away slightly awkward, turning around to face the vast expanse of sand. Root did nothing of the sort despite Shaw's glare turned upon her full force.

'Root,' growled Shaw.

'But Sweetie-' she cut herself off, head tilted to the side eyes glazing over slightly and Shaw returned to her task confident Root was being called on some errand.

'Come on John,' chirped Root, exiting the car, 'we have a bus to stop.'

This caught Shaw's attention as she tightened the dressing over the bleeding graze.

'We getting out of here?'

'Not you Sweetie,' drifted Root's voice as she began to leave with John, 'we just have to pick something up. Stay here and don't do anything rash.'

Shaw growled.

'Fuck you,' she called and Root left, the sound of her light laughter trailing behind her.

Shaw grumbled to herself putting away the medical kit, chucking it on one of the front seats. Three of the four doors were open and Shaw hung one of her legs out, boot tip grazing the dirt.

Kara jingled her cuffs.

'Wanna let me out?'

'No.'

'Will you at least open my door?'

'No.'

'I'm hot.'

'Tough.'

The car fell back into silence and Shaw reached for her gun, beginning to dismantle her weapon.

Kara watched the woman work, noting the way her right hand covered in blood stuck to small pieces of the weapon.

'Cleaning it will prove fruitless with that hand.'

'And whose fault is that?'

'You shouldn't have been in my way.'

Shaw grunted in slight agreement but ceased further talk.

'Out of all of you to get stuck with...' trailed off Kara.

'I'm not exactly happy about this either,' muttered Shaw.

'I'm the one handcuffed.'

'Will you try to kill me if I remove them?'

'No.'

'Still not taking them off.'

'You're not very trusting are you?'

'Are you?'

Kara laughed.

'There goes my daring escape.'

'Yeah well.'

Seriously. She had to get stuck with the one person who seemed about as uncompromising as herself. At least she could flirt with John, and at least the brunette seemed fun. This one was just...boring. And uncompromising. And reminded her of John.

'Do you have any sense of humour?'

'No.'

'Do you say anything other than single-syllable words?'

'Not if I can help it.'

Kara sighed, shuffling in her seat before reaching her cuffed together hands towards the door handle. She stopped when she heard the tell-tale click of a gun and slowly turned her head over her shoulder.

Shaw had her gun raised, face giving away nothing.

'Just opening the door...' trailed Kara.

'Don't.'

'I'm hot.'

'And I want to kill you.'

Kara tilted her head.

'So you won’t?'

She watched the almost imperceptible grinding of the other woman's jaw and counted that a win.

'I was told not to kill you.'

'You were also told not to shoot me.'

'Try anything and I think they'll forgive me.'

'You don't seem the type to care.'

'I'm not.'

'So shoot me.'

'You want to die?'

'Just trying to work out where your limit is.'

'Right here. Hands off the door and shut up.'

Kara watched the other woman carefully before slowly obliging, resting her hands on her thighs.

'Honestly you are no fun.'

Shaw ignored the woman, keeping her gun trained on Kara as it rested by her hips. Shaw flicked on her earpiece.

'How much longer?'

'Tired of me already?'

_'Patience Sameen; we're almost done here.'_

'Hurry up.'

_'I'll make it up to you,'_ cooed Root in her ear and Shaw's unusual fidgeting was enough to draw Kara's keen gaze.

'Speaking to your girlfriend? Do you always do what she says?'

Shaw's glare was fierce and her grip on her gun tightened as Root's laugh filtered through her ear.

'Shut up.'

'Which…one of us are you talking to?'

'Root get the fuck back here or get us out.'

_'I like her. We'll be back soon Sweetie: why don't you two try to get along?'_

Shaw growled before slamming off her coms.

'Didn't like what you heard? Am I safe?'

'Just because I can't shoot you doesn't mean I can't hurt you.'

Shaw didn't put away her gun but rested it on her leg and Kara felt just a little safer. The woman was apparently almost as unpredictable as she was but seemed content to listen to orders. Particularly those from the brunette who Kara assumed was some form of girlfriend. That or the woman simply liked to have fun with her partners as she had with John.

Kara was struggling to decide whether she liked her current companion or not, but what she did know was that getting out was going to be a little harder than previously anticipated: while it was a clear the woman was willing to listen to commands she wasn't willing to put faith in the fact that a bullet wouldn’t be on it's course to at least her kneecap if she so much as moved a finger wrong.

Kara sighed.

'Do you seriously want to keep watching me?'

'No.'

'Then why not let me go?'

Shaw raised an eyebrow and said nothing.

Okay so maybe talking her way out of this wasn't going to work.

'Where am I even going? Who do you even work for?'

'He likes his privacy,' replied Shaw gruffly.

'What did I even do?'

'Besides strapping a bomb to John, attempting to torture Root and shooting me in the arm?'

Kara shrugged.

'I only grazed you.'

'My employer wants you alive and kept in custody.'

'And you want me dead.'

'I don't care whether you live or die. I could go either way but they want you alive.'

Kara shook her head.

'You're irritatingly efficient.'

'Thank you.'

'Your training was ISA?'

'My training was shut the hell up.'

'Just trying to make conversation.'

'And reach for the paperclip in the door of the car,' remarked Shaw lightly and Kara froze her actions.

During the inane conversation Kara had attempted to source the paperclip resting at the bottom of the pocket in the door of the car next to some dodgy looking crumbs and a chewed up pen.

'Hands out.'

Kara said nothing, doing as asked.

'Hey Sweetie,' called Root's voice as the duo returned from their travels carrying nothing extra that would indicate their short vacancy had purpose.

'What the hell took you so long?' demanded Shaw, pulling herself out of the car to meet the two.

'Did you miss me?'

Shaw rolled her eyes, looking at John for explanation who simply shrugged.

'I don't know she wouldn't tell me.'

'Don't worry kids, She's just looking out for us. As for her,' Root indicated to Kara still sat in the car fiddling with the paperclip in what she thought was a surreptitious manner, 'she can go.'

'What?' hissed Shaw.

'We don't need her.'

'And what happens when we set her lose?'

Root shrugged.

'She told me to let her go.'

'Did you forget what she did?'

Kara watched the apparently tense exchange with one eye from her seat, still trying to manoeuvre the paperclip as best she could. She watched as Shaw tensed at what was being said and John become defensive. She hadn't missed the team dynamic.

'What's past is past,' waved off Root, 'but I'm glad you care so much sweetie.'

'I was talking about John. She strapped a bomb to his chest.'

Root turned to John.

'She's got a point Root we can't just let her go.'

Root ignored them both, walking over to Kara's door and pulling it open with a smile on her face.

Kara froze her movements.

'You can go now.'

'What?'

'You can go.'

Kara's eyes trailed from Root to the two agents standing behind her.

'Is she serious?'

Shaw scoffed.

'Yes,' supplied John.

'And you two are okay with this?'

'No,' growled Shaw.

Root had moved her attention elsewhere, determined to fix the punctured tyre with no equipment as Kara slowly pushed herself out of her seat. As soon as she was out Shaw slammed the door behind her and went around to help Root. Kara held out her conjoined wrists to John who simply raised an eyebrow.

'Oh come on John.'

'You have a paperclip,' he remarked lightly, walking around to help the women.

Kara watched his back as the three began bickering, her presence all but forgotten and wondered what the hell John had gotten himself into. One had a voice in her head-which they all apparently listened to-one was clearly some form of terminator, and then there was John, hero-complex still going strong.

She looked down at her locked hands and sighed. She contemplated unlocking the handcuff's here and attacking her previous captors but decided against it. Instead she began walking away, gently fiddling with the locking mechanism: she was in no rush; she had a long walk to civilisation after all.


End file.
